# Outdoor Voices: Tyler Haney

- Show: [How I Built This](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this)
- Published: 2019-11-25
- Length: 1h 05m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2019-11-25-outdoor-voices-tyler-haney

## Summary

Tyler Haney, founder of Outdoor Voices, explains how she identified a gap in the saturated athletic wear market for non-competitive athletes and launched a brand centered on 'play' and community. She details her bootstrapped journey from sketching prototypes in her apartment to securing a $500,000 order from J. Crew, which forced her to raise capital and quit her job to fulfill the production. Haney describes her unconventional fundraising strategy of sending product to female partners of male investors, leading to a seed round from General Catalyst and subsequent scaling into retail and direct-to-consumer channels.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2019-11-25-outdoor-voices-tyler-haney#t=0) Introduction: Tyler Haney and the Outdoor Voices Origin Story
- [5:41](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2019-11-25-outdoor-voices-tyler-haney#t=341) The Jogging Epiphany and Identifying the Market Gap
- [14:18](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2019-11-25-outdoor-voices-tyler-haney#t=858) Sourcing Technical Fabrics and Prototyping with Sunshine Production
- [26:12](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2019-11-25-outdoor-voices-tyler-haney#t=1572) Iterating Prototypes in Los Angeles and Finding the Right Manufacturer
- [31:47](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2019-11-25-outdoor-voices-tyler-haney#t=1907) Securing the First J. Crew Order and Raising Initial Capital
- [42:53](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2019-11-25-outdoor-voices-tyler-haney#t=2573) Fundraising Strategy: Pitching VCs and Landing General Catalyst
- [48:44](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2019-11-25-outdoor-voices-tyler-haney#t=2924) Building Community Through 'Doing Things' and Retail Expansion
- [55:53](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2019-11-25-outdoor-voices-tyler-haney#t=3353) Scaling the Company, Board Dynamics, and Leadership Challenges

## Topics

- [Starting a product company](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/starting-a-company)
- [Materials & manufacturing processes](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/materials-and-processes)
- [Fundraising & investors](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/fundraising)
- [Marketing & brand](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/marketing-and-brand)
- [Retail, wholesale & distribution](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/retail-and-distribution)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies

## Mentioned

- Outdoor Voices (company)
- J. Crew (company)
- General Catalyst (company)
- Lululemon (company)
- Nike (company)
- Under Armour (company)
- Magic (other)
- Outdoor Retailer (other)
- Garb Store (company)
- Sunshine Production (company)
- The Man Repeller (other)
- Busy Baby Mat (product)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [Founder + Funder: Fundraising, Retail Growth, and Building a Modern Hydration Brand with Alex Michaelsen of Leisure Hydration and Ryan Springer of Midnight](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast/2026-06-27-founder-funder-fundraising-retail-growth-and-building-a-modern-hydration-brand-w) (The Startup CPG Podcast)
- [#179 - Bootstrap Heroes: Hazard's Hop Water, SWAIR, Gourmend Foods](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast/2025-01-21-179-bootstrap-heroes-hazards-hop-water-swair-gourmend-foods) (The Startup CPG Podcast)
- [How to Ask Someone to Invest in Your CPG Brand, with Fave's Ryan Raish](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast/2026-10-10-how-to-ask-someone-to-invest-in-your-cpg-brand-with-faves-ryan-raish) (The Startup CPG Podcast)
- [Founder Feature - Fane He and Kyle Nguyen of  The Lucky Ox](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast/2025-06-20-founder-feature-fane-he-and-kyle-nguyen-of-the-lucky-ox) (The Startup CPG Podcast)
- [Oddball's Path From Idea to Funding a Nationwide Target Launch](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast/2026-07-11-oddballs-path-from-idea-to-funding-a-nationwide-target-launch) (The Startup CPG Podcast)

## Citing this page

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